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He who pays the piper, calls the tune?

Very often, too often in developing countries like Cambodia,
there are “Westerners” who exude the same superiority complex.They believe that because of their better
education; and coming from their more advanced/sophisticated home country – together with their money
- they can bring improvements to bear on these needy folks.In this sense, the old missionary concept lives on, only with a
development rather than religious slant.

They can be sorely mistaken.I often remind such well-intentioned if misguided souls that it was not
so long ago, that our countries were not so civilized. (Please refer to a previous blog.)

I wish to start this blog in the same way, having come
across another “worthy” character of our mutual heritage, helping to make my
point. My thanks to Keith Proud for the story of Jamie Allen - “famed Northumbrian Piper and some time villain”. (If you want to see and hear the Northumbrian Pipes, you can listen and enjoy Northumbrian scenery here and/or click here.

http://www.northumbrianpipers.org.uk/index.php?page=News-Archive

You see I keep thinking about the over-arching role that money plays in getting things done, or not done, as the case suits.The saying “money is the root of all evil” definitely applies in the human rights and
development world. The King of Corruption is such an accepted familiar figure, he's part of the furniture!

Yet perversely one of the most evil regimes ever to exist –
the Khmer Rouge – abolished money, as part of their experiment to revert to
some kind of agrarian Utopia.

Today in Cambodia money is well back in fashion; the favourite being the US$, bucket-loads of it preferably in large denomination notes, much originally donated kindly by or on behalf of taxpayers
around the world.

That largesse is administered by aid and development
organizations and agencies, i.e., governments; international agencies, and
non-governmental organizations.Here in
Cambodia, they are lumped together under the simple tag “donors”.

Many Cambodians claim Chinese ancestry.In fact almost all do during Chinese New Year
celebrations.It is not an official
holiday but just about everyone takes a week off for it.

So perhaps this sheds some light on why repeatedly
Cambodians of all levels, right up to the top, seem unable or unwilling to
comply with “donor” rules and conditions. Money, they guess, need not be
spent exactly according to the rules.And as the money keeps coming in regardless, why should they change?

Certainly, we can see not just in Cambodia but with other recipient countries that China is able to count on their eventual returns to the gift, when it wants them, as reciprocal obligations. (See for example what happened when Cambodia chaired ASEAN.) That may be OK for China, but it has a wide knock-on effect. The comparative share of "Western" aid, or dependence on it, reduces and with it is the influence that goes with it, and effect of potential repercussions from non-compliance.

To illustrate the points, please see this topical case described in a Cambodia Daily article. Although the case is "black and white" as far as international donors and agencies are concerned - certain people have acquired money that they were not entitled to - a typical Cambodia perspective is this, as has often been described to me to justify "commissions": "Look, once the money has been paid to the supplier, it's his money, so if he chooses to give me some of it, that is fine isn't it?" And that is why the Anti-Corruption Unit sees no wrong. Often they use the innocent term "tea money" to mask the deed.

So he who pays the piper..... may not hear his own tune, but somebody else's. Ironically that could be a
sentiment that Piper Jamie Allen would have endorsed!

I must stress
that my purpose here is not to excuse but to explain why we have
consistent non-compliance in development projects. I still maintain
that cultural factors aside, parties to contracts anywhere; who enter in
to arrangments freely knowing what is entailed, are honour-bound by
them. If they choose deliberately to break them, for money or benefits
that they are not entitled to, then that is breach of trust under
Cambodian or any other law. Any "relationship" regardless of friendly
smiles should not be allowed to stand in the way of justice.

Back in 2005, I gave a presentation in London about doing business in
Cambodia. I advised the audience, much to their amusement, to be wary of
smiles. Here is an extract below. For more on the Cambodian smile, look up this blog.